Guinness needed the money, so he took the role in "some stupid science fiction film". The thing that bothered him the most was because that is how he was best remembered. Not for his excellent roles in earlier films like Lawrence of Arabia, but for this low budget schlock that frankly he felt was beneath him.

I've seen an old interview with Alec, done just after filming of ANH had stopped but before it had been released.
And here he was quite positive about the film and he liked the role and really wanted to play him.
I never got the sense that he did this "Just for the money" and the budget of ANH wasn't huge so I doubt he got paid a fortune.

Why he later became less enamoured with SW was that people started writing to him, thinking he was Obi-Wan, and wanting advice on how to live their life. This kind of attention did not sit well with him and after this, all people would ask him was about SW and not about many of the other great roles he played.
In short, he didn't care for the SW fandom but liked the film.

Still, it was pretty overkill when he raged on that kid that wanted his autograph because he played Obi Wan.

That's not entirely true, either. Some kid asked him for his autograph, claiming he'd seen SW about 130 times (or similar), to which Guinness replied gently that yes, he could have his autograph, but only if he promised never to watch SW again. The kid burst into tears. He hardly 'raged' on the kid, he just found such fandom a bit unhealthy.

Alec Guinness never had a problem with the films themselves, for every supposedly negative comment there's a positive one - he's particularly praiseworthy towards George Lucas - but no one expected them to be so successful, and the ensuing lunacy was just a bit much for him. Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher & Harrison Ford all harbour such mixed feelings towards the OT.

Still, it was pretty overkill when he raged on that kid that wanted his autograph because he played Obi Wan.

That's not entirely true, either. Some kid asked him for his autograph, claiming he'd seen SW about 130 times (or similar), to which Guinness replied gently that yes, he could have his autograph, but only if he promised never to watch SW again. The kid burst into tears. He hardly 'raged' on the kid, he just found such fandom a bit unhealthy.

Alec Guinness never had a problem with the films themselves, for every supposedly negative comment there's a positive one - he's particularly praiseworthy towards George Lucas - but no one expected them to be so successful, and the ensuing lunacy was just a bit much for him. Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher & Harrison Ford all harbour such mixed feelings towards the OT.

Yeah didn't Ford tell a kid to go force yourself when he said May the force be with you to him.

Bwahaha! That story is news to me. Because of Ford's mumbling nature the kid might have probably heard the other f-word on top of that, too.

You should never take what negative aspects actors have to say about your favourite franchise too close to heart.
I mean, Daniels and Baker apparently hated each others' company. Ironically it kinda fit the relationship between the characters, though.

Still, it was pretty overkill when he raged on that kid that wanted his autograph because he played Obi Wan.

That's not entirely true, either. Some kid asked him for his autograph, claiming he'd seen SW about 130 times (or similar), to which Guinness replied gently that yes, he could have his autograph, but only if he promised never to watch SW again. The kid burst into tears. He hardly 'raged' on the kid, he just found such fandom a bit unhealthy.

Alec Guinness never had a problem with the films themselves, for every supposedly negative comment there's a positive one - he's particularly praiseworthy towards George Lucas - but no one expected them to be so successful, and the ensuing lunacy was just a bit much for him. Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher & Harrison Ford all harbour such mixed feelings towards the OT.

I never got the sense that he did this "Just for the money" and the budget of ANH wasn't huge so I doubt he got paid a fortune.

I don't think he was paid a fortune upfront, but he had enough faith in the film to take a few points of the gross instead - which did make him rich.

Yeah didn't Ford tell a kid to go force yourself when he said May the force be with you to him.

As for Sir Alec

Watch films like Bridge on the River Kwi/ The Lady Killers and TV series like Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy to understand why he probably got annoyed for only playing Obi bloody Wan Kenobi as he said it

_ _ _ _

It must have been difficult for Sir Alec. He'd done some brilliant work over the years, including those that you mentioned. For all of that to, essentially, be forgotten because of being in Star Wars probably was rather irritating for such a brilliant actor. I imagine it is similar to bands getting tired of always being asked to play that big hit from years ago rather than the music they have made more recently.

To the point where he's willing to make children cry by telling them not to watch them again.

It really makes it painful to watch him in the OT now.

Give me a break. He would be just as annoyed by some people's inability to get a dry, sarcastic joke, I think.

At any rate, here's my experience. I've shared this here before but it's good to share again.

When I was a kid, my parents and I lived in England for a few years. The second house we lived in was in a small rural town, just down the street from Alec Guinness and his wife. This was in 1980 to 1982, so just after TESB, and I was six years old in 1980. They were very quiet and kept to themselves, but also very nice. All the neighbors liked them and appreciated that they valued their privacy. But every time I met him, I was still a little awestruck to be talking to Obi-Wan. He knew this and it didn't bother him at all. On one of the first occasions, we were sitting behind him in church (I was raised Catholic). There's a part of the mass where everyone shakes the hands of those around them and says "peace be with you". He turned and shook my hand and we said that to each other, but after he turned back around I whispered to my mom, "I should have said 'may the Force be with you'". He heard me, looked back at me, and gave me a classic "Obi-Wan" smile.

Alec's personality was about the only thing that held the production of ANH together, per one of the documentaries about it. He did hate being only associated with Obi-Wan, but the films themselves? Find it rather odd to keep appearing in something you detest

To the point where he's willing to make children cry by telling them not to watch them again.

It really makes it painful to watch him in the OT now.

Give me a break. He would be just as annoyed by some people's inability to get a dry, sarcastic joke, I think.

At any rate, here's my experience. I've shared this here before but it's good to share again.

When I was a kid, my parents and I lived in England for a few years. The second house we lived in was in a small rural town, just down the street from Alec Guinness and his wife. This was in 1980 to 1982, so just after TESB, and I was six years old in 1980. They were very quiet and kept to themselves, but also very nice. All the neighbors liked them and appreciated that they valued their privacy. But every time I met him, I was still a little awestruck to be talking to Obi-Wan. He knew this and it didn't bother him at all. On one of the first occasions, we were sitting behind him in church (I was raised Catholic). There's a part of the mass where everyone shakes the hands of those around them and says "peace be with you". He turned and shook my hand and we said that to each other, but after he turned back around I whispered to my mom, "I should have said 'may the Force be with you'". He heard me, looked back at me, and gave me a classic "Obi-Wan" smile.